


ZONE

by Charlee422



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Bang Chan & Yang Jeongin | I.N are Siblings, Bartenders, Blood, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Bouncers, Character Death, Crossdressing, Deaf Character, Depression, Eight is Fate, F/M, Fainting, Family, Family Feels, Fights, Fist Fights, Friendship, Gang AU, Gang Violence, Gen, Guns, Han Jisung | Han & Lee Felix are Best Friends, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, LGBTQ Character, Loneliness, M/M, Making Out, Medical Inaccuracies, Miscommunication, Multi, Not Beta Read, OT8, Original Character Death(s), Other, Physical Disability, Pole Dancing, Protective Minho, Protective Stray Kids Ensemble, Self-Doubt, Self-Hatred, Self-blaming, Social Anxiety, Stabbing, Stitches, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Team as Family, Underage Drinking, Violence, Younghyun is Brian, and hyunjin's, and jeongin's, and jisung's dad, dowoon is changbin's dad, hard of hearing character, jae is felix's dad, jamie is felix's mom, junhyeok is minho's dad, minho and hyunjin are siblings, other kpop groups will probably be mentioned, sungjin is chan's dad, though it happens in the beginning, unintentional self-harm, wonpil is seungmin's dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 13,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24563272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlee422/pseuds/Charlee422
Summary: Day6. The head gang of South Korea (yes the entire country). When their children are threatened, they spread out across the globe and entrust each other to raise their kids. Their kids. That's Stray Kids.Several years later, Stray Kids are the newest gang on the block, but are quickly taking back what was once their parents'. How hard could it be? Sure one of them is basically deaf, three of them have club personas?,  and they're all at least a little bit gay. But they're not Day6's kids for no reason, right?09/09/2020: UPDATED AS OT8
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han/Kim Seungmin, Park Jaehyung | Jae/Park Jimin (15&), unknown - Relationship
Comments: 7
Kudos: 86





	1. How had things escalated so fast?

DAY6 PARENTS:

Younghyun = Jisung

Wonpil = Seungmin

Jae & Jamie (Jimin) = Felix

Dowoon = Changbin

Sungjin = Chan/Jeongin

Junhyeok = Minho/Hyunjin

KIDS AGE ESTIMATIONS:

Jeongin - 3 mo

Seungmin - 8 mo

Felix - 8 mo

Jisung - 8 mo

Hyunjin - 1 year

Changbin - 1 year 9 mo

Minho - 2 years 6 mo

Chan - 3 years 7 mo

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The sound of a phone ringing came as quickly as it left as a woman snatched her cell from her bedside table, her hand moved haphazardly as she searched for the obnoxious blaring, her eyes still closed as she accepted the call.

“Ji, I need some help,” a male voice immediately spoke, his voice barely reached her ears as she rushed to put her cell against her ear.

“What’s wrong, oppa?” The woman hesitantly replied, her muscles tensed from the seriousness that radiated from the other line. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes as she waited for his response.

“We have to separate the gang for a while, it’s getting too dangerous for the boys,” the man answered, the lack of emotion in his voice raising her worry. 

“What do I need to do? This has happened before, what’s different this time?” The woman climbed out of her bed and began to pace her small bedroom. An infant slept peacefully on her bed, his chest rising and falling with each sleepy breath.

“I think it would be better if the boys were separated from us for some time. We can’t lose them, Jamie, we can’t,” she sighed as his voice drowned with unsaid emotion, it finally cracking from the monotonous that had begun the call.

“Okay, you know that I’m in Australia now and I have some connections in the US, Canada, Malaysia, and several in South Korea. Will that be enough, Jae?” Jamie ran a hand through her bed head, thousands of scenarios ran through her head, each grimmer than the last.

“It’s more than what we had a few minutes ago…” the man, Jae, replied, the stressfulness of the situation left them in silence for several moments, both lost in their own minds.

“Okay, how do you want to split them up?” Jamie finally broke from her thoughts. Shuffles and whispers were heard on the other end of the line. The sounds of an infant crying could be heard in the background.

“Unfortunately, I think that we have to separate the siblings, too,” Jamie imagined what Jae was doing in that moment, probably tending to one of the children that had woken up. She could imagine the bags under his eyes and the ruffled hair that his hands ran through unconsciously when he was thinking. 

“Okay… well, let’s try to avoid that as much as possible. Who has the biggest targets on their backs?” Jamie sat down on the foot of her bed, her shoulders slumped forward and she rested her head in her hands.

“Younghyun-ah and Junhyeok-ah. They’re both out with Jisung right now. Probably not the wisest idea but poor Sungie just wouldn’t calm down. He was going to wake up the whole house with his screams. How’s Lix by the way?” She could hear the tiredness in his voice, most-likely from a certain September baby as three of the infants had been nicknamed.

“He’s fine, Jae. He’s the best child I could ever ask for… maybe you can come to Australia and visit us?” Jamie couldn’t help but wish for her family to be complete again.

“I want to, so much. You know how much it pains me to be away from you, but I have to keep you safe, and if that means missing Felix’s first years, then that is what I will do. I’m sorry, jagiya,” Jae’s heavy sigh echoed repeatedly in her head, it wasn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation.

“I know, oppa, It pains me, too,” she whispered.

Silence.

“I’m gonna put you on hold, jagiya, Younghyun’s calling,” Jae suddenly said, startling Jamie.

Minutes of holding. 

Finally, she was placed off of hold. 

Sniffles and crashing in the background.

“Yeobo? What’s going on?” Jamie did not like the sounds that she had just heard, who did?

“They got him. They got Junhyeok-ah,” Jae began to sob, Jamie couldn’t keep her own tears back as she wept for the man she had called a brother. They cried for several minutes, their phones the only connection they had as the couple was separated physically.

“Okay. The boys need to get away from the gang now. I should have pushed harder on that months ago.” Jamie sternly stated, anger creeping into her voice.

“Jagiya, Jeongin’s still a newborn. He needs to stay with Sungjin-hyung.” Jae gently reminded her, reeling her anger back.

“I’ve already worked around that. Sungjin-oppa needs to stay in Busan anyways to keep your business running, he is the leader after all, and he shouldn’t be targeted because nothing glaringly connects him to Day6. Dowoon-oppa would stay with them to help with the gang. I’ve already booked Younghyun-oppa a flight to Toronto, Canada. I’m not sending any of the boys with him, god-forbid he gets followed.”

“That’s smart, except where is Jisung going to go?” 

“Malaysia. His mother’s parents are still there,” Jamie replied with confidence.

“Okay. What about the rest of us?” Jamie was silent for a moment, collecting her thoughts.

“Wonpil-oppa can take Minho and Changbin to Incheon. Jeongin will go with Sungjin-oppa and Dowoon-oppa because he is just a baby. And I think I can get you to California with Seungmin and Hyunjin. I think putting Hyunjin and Minho with the two who are closest to them will be easier on them since… since–” a sob caught in her throat and she coughed to push through. She could deal with her emotions later, she had babies to protect. 

“It’s okay, jagiya. I know,” he paused, a door slamming open startled both of them. Jamie heard Jae beginning to exclaim, “Jesus! Younghyun-ah?! What the hell?! Why is Jisung covered in blood?! Is he unconscious?! Dude, you gotta go to a hospital, now!” Jamie’s panic surged as Jae yelled more and more, he had probably forgotten about the phone the second he saw what Jamie could barely begin to imagine. 

Younghyun stood in the entryway, a pale infant in his arms, blood ran down the hand closest to the infant’s head as the crimson liquid drained from his ears. Younghyun had blood all over his clothes that were also dirty with street grime. The father had a distant look in his eyes, as if he was walking through a daze, not all there. 

How had things escalated so fast? One day they were celebrating Jeongin’s first smile and the next two of the boys were orphans and who knows what is wrong with Jisung. 


	2. Hannah, Pixie, and Ginnie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everybody in the club. All eyes on us.

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

2

One by one, their kids returned to Seoul. It took almost a decade and a half for everyone to be reunited. Felix was the last one to join them, as Jamie was hesitant to send her only child to a place she couldn’t protect them; a place that a man she had viewed as her brother was brutally killed. 

By the time Felix joined the others, they had already taken back some of Seoul, running their business out of a popular night club. No one batted an eye at the fact that they were barely adults, some of them even went to school during the day. 

Felix found it amazing how Stray Kids, as Chan constantly called them, managed their double lives. It was a dangerous and taxing lifestyle, though, and Felix constantly felt the anxiety and stress that squeezed his lungs and crept through his veins. 

It took awhile for the teenager to find a sure way to release the pent up emotions: dancing. Felix had always enjoyed dancing, no one cared who you were if you had talent. And so, when Felix saw Jisung come out of his bedroom dressed in a crop top, skirt, and a wig, he had found his job at the club (bouncing around between jobs was never fun, just ask Seungmin and Jeongin). 

When Felix confided in Jisung about his desire to dance like the one-day-older did, Felix didn’t expect a pole to be placed on the other side of the club the next day, a safety net placed around it so that certain grabby hands couldn’t touch the dancer. That same day, Felix, Jisung, and a curious Jeongin went shopping for new work clothes, picking out skirts, crop tops, short shorts, heels, wigs, make-up, even padding for his chest for when he was needed to go undercover. Jeongin even got some of his own, his recent growth spurt made his old clothes too small.

“Sungie, what about my voice. They’ll surely know that I’m not a girl if I talk,” Felix worried as they unpacked Felix’s new belongings. 

“Oh, that is something isn’t it?” Jisung froze, “what if you don’t talk?” The teenager turned to look at the younger.

“Like being mute?” Felix met Jisung’s with confusion. 

“Yeah! And I could take my hearing aids out! And… and Innie could take his contacts out! We could do a whole ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ thing!” Jisung exclaimed, the older’s mind ran with millions of possibilities and plans. 

“That’s not a bad idea… you’re a genius Sungie!” Felix giggled as he pulled Jisung into a hug, the both of them falling onto the younger’s bed. 

“I know,” Jisung laughed out, his voice muffled by Felix’s hoodie. Felix rolled his eyes fondly at the older’s arrogance. 

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

  
  


It didn’t take much to convince Jeongin into joining them on the poles, and so the three of them teamed up on their leader to persuade him of their plan. 

“What if one of you is targeted? You’ll be left defenseless. I won’t let one of you get hurt,” Chan ran a hand through his curly, bleached hair, the blond made the bags under his eyes stick out more than they usually did. 

The three from the maknae line were seated on the couch in the leader’s office, their bodies squished together in a way that only they found comfortable. Chan sat behind his desk, which looked more like a mountain of papers than a desk. It was messy but Chan refused to let anyone touch it, claiming that everything had a specified spot. He almost beat Suengmin with a shoe when he came back from a meeting to find the younger cleaning the mess of papers. 

“Channie-hyung~ you know us. We don’t need all of our senses to fight. We’ve trained without them before. And we have Changbin-hyung, and Seungmin-hyung to watch out for creeps. Imagine how much more money we could bring in if there were three of us instead of just Sungie-hyung. We might be younger than you but we aren’t weaker than you,” Jeongin pressed the older. He was personally tired of being a floater, he wanted to dress up as whatever he wanted and flaunt himself off without worrying about being touched. 

After several moments and heavy sighs, Chan gave in.

“Okay. We can try. But the second something sketchy happens I’m pulling the plug. Yeah?” Chan looked at the three before him pointedly. Felix, Jisung, and Jeongin bounced with excitement as they nodded their heads with such force that Chan got dizzy just watching it.

“Now get out of my office. I have business to take care of,” Chan herded the younger teenagers out of his office, swiftly switching the lock on the door.

A gasp left his lips when his body was suddenly forced against the door, hands pinned his hips while a chest met his back.

“H-How long have you been in here?” Chan whispered as he attempted not to shiver from the lips that pressed against the back of his neck. 

“Long enough to know that we need to put another pole in the club,” a soft-timbre whisper replied, the warm breath against his neck sent Chan’s skin tingling and heart pumping. Chan was suddenly flipped around, his back slammed against the door. Chan didn’t have time to think about the pain before lips were on his, both fighting for dominance.

When the lips left his own, Chan’s eyes fluttered open and met heated brown ones that never failed to make his knees weak.

“Minho–”

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

“Hello clubbers! Tonight we are excited to inform you that we have two dancers debuting tonight! Please turn your attention to Ginnie and Pixie!” The crowd erupted as two spotlights enlightened the two newest poles. 

On one was a girl with reddish-brown hair, bangs covered her forehead as she waved to the crowd. She wore a navy blue crop top with long lace sleeves. A matching skirt with a longer back flowed around her gracefully, her seven inch heels contrasted against her outfit with a sparkling silver. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold that was the same sparking silver. 

Pixie swung gracefully on the other pole. Her blonde hair was pulled half up to reveal her eyes. She was wearing a black fishnet, long sleeve dress, revealing extremely defined abs. The only thing covering her lower area was a pair of bright pink thongs that matched the mask that covered the lower half of her face. Surprising, she didn’t have shoes on, revealing small feet that were decorated with pink swirls and nail polish. 

“With our experienced dancer, Hannah, these three have started their own theme named, ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,’ we’ll see how long they can keep this theme, shall we?” 

The last pole was illuminated as the crowd went wild once again, revealing Hannah. Her blond hair was curled away from her ears to reveal thick, red, noise-canceling headphones. She was dressed in a white, leather crop top, revealing her own abs and defined arm muscles. Red leather pants accented the white of her top as did the black of her chunky, lace up, ankle boots. 

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

Felix, Jisung, and Jeongin were right. The club immediately made at least twice as much money with two new dancers. Fortunately, no one attempted to push through the netting that surrounded the poles. Seungmin was placed by Ginnie’s pole as Jeongin was the most vulnerable between the three dancers with his eyesight cut off and her hearing ineffective with the blaring club music. 

Sometimes, only one or two of them went out for the night, or did shifts. When they weren’t dancing they were helping behind the bar, watching the security cameras, or assisting Chan with business. But, they were always dressed as Ginnie, Hannah, or Pixie at the club. They had gained club personalities. 

Of course, there was always the constant fear of their identities being found, but with the three of them in school, it was almost impossible for their classmates to find out their other sides. Who would connect Hannah to Jisung, Pixie to Felix, and Ginnie to Jeongin anyways? 

  
  



	3. The hopeful sky only gets covered by other people’s hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hopeful sky only gets covered by other people’s hands. 
> 
> All good things are temporary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one:
> 
> Literally no one:
> 
> CharLee: posts 3 updates after saying they'll be too busy to write for the next weeks

The three dancers were a big hit at the club, bringing in numbers never seen before. They were very popular and the other boys were constantly asked to spend a night with them, going as far as pressing their hands through the netting that served as a safeguard for the dancers. 

It cost a lot of the older boys’ sanity to not murder the drunkards right then and there, but they had a business to run and knew that the youngers members could take care of themselves. The club ran well for months, almost a whole year. 

But, all good things have to come to an end. I mean, did you really expect everything to be fine and dandy when their parents were the leaders of South Korea’s biggest gang. They didn’t even have the opportunity to be raised by their own parents, in their home country, having to flee at such a young age only Chan has a few memories of when they all lived together at headquarters.

Jisung had a few memories too… but that’s for later.

“Park Chul has just entered with three goons. We need eyes on him at all times,” Changbin muttered through the comm, alerting everyone except for the dancers, who were unable to have earpieces that would remain unseen in the patrons' views.

“Chan-hyung’s in a meeting and all three are on the poles. So we’re down with just you, Jinnie, and I,” Minho replied as he mixed a drink behind the counter.

“How long will Channie be?” Hyunjin turned his face away from the crowd to hide his moving lips.

“Too long if Park pulls something,” Minho snarls as he wipes the counter down for the thousandth time that night. 

“Shit. Abeoji’s calling. I gotta take it,” Hyunjin answered his phone and rushed to the supply closet. Now it was just Minho and Changbin watching the crowd, and Seungmin, too. But he had to stay near Ginnie as he was the most vulnerable with a blindfold and hearing shot from the blaring EDM. 

They were fine. Everything was runny smooth despite the obvious obstacles. It was when Hannah got off her pole to freshen up in the back that shit hit the fan. 

First, he had to find the opening of the netting, which was harder than it sounds. Next, slip his way between grabby hands and swaying hips. By the time he made it to the booths that were near the back, he was exhausted; it probably didn’t help that he had anxiety that was heavily triggered by crowds.

It was a pure coincidence that Pixie and Ginnie decided to take breaks and head to the back as well at the same time as Jisung had. Jeongin assured Seungmin that he would be fine as he was with the other two dancers, pushing Seungmin to meet up with Changbin at the front.

They never made it to the back. 

Of course Seungmin was the first to notice, it was his job to guard Ginnie after all. So when ten minutes passed by, then twenty, then thirty, then a whole hour, Seungmin knew something was wrong. 

With adrenaline and fear running through his veins, he sped his way to the back where the dancers were supposed to be. His worst thoughts came true, they were gone. He immediately notified the others through the comm and raced to the tech room. 

They were out. The cameras had been out for the last three hours, and no one noticed. Seungmin and Changbin searched through the entire club, looking for Hannah’s striking blue hair, Pixie’s pink hair, even Ginnie’s red hair. The two came up empty handed.

No one saw them leave through the entrance and Hyunjin and Minho didn’t see them near the bar. 

It was as if they disappeared in thin air. 

Three vital members of Stray Kids had vanished in one hour, and their leader was still stuck in that damn meeting. 

The three members of Stray Kids with physical disadvantages. 

With disabilities. 

Were gone. 

Taken. 

Kidnapped. 

In danger.


	4. Sup dudes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some helpful notes <3

PARENTS NAMES:  
Younghyun = Dad  
Wonpil = Papa  
Jae = Appa  
Jamie = Eomma  
Dowoon = Pop  
Sungjin = Abeoji  
  


Club Dancer Code Names:

Ginnie: Jeongin

Pixie: Felix

Hannah: Jisung


	5. I Cry Out Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cold voices I don't wanna listen anymore
> 
> Even if I close my ears
> 
> It's no use, the staring eyes are blocking my way
> 
> I can't see a thing

Smash it all, the source that locked me in the darkness and harassed me

I try to get out but there's no way out until I find the exit

Pretending it's for me, the voices disregard my dream

I don't want to get hurt anymore, I close my ears and walk my way

“Hyung,” a stern voice came from the doorway. Chan was seated at his desk, surrounded by papers as he typed away at his computer. Empty energy drinks and wrappers littered the floor. Chan looked up from his screen with his heavily-bagged eyes and found Minho leaning against the doorframe. 

“What,” Chan croaked as he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his hands over his burning eyes. How long has he been sitting here? How long have they been gone?

“You need to sleep. You can’t help them if you’re passed out,” Minho scanned the room, disgust obvious on his face at the mess.

“Just a few more hours. I’ll find them,” Chan returned to his previous position and resumed typing away, the blue light from the screen illuminating his bloodshot eyes.

“Christopher, you are not the only one looking for them. We’ll find them,” Minho had crossed over the room and was now in front of the desk, his eyes boring into Chan’s, “but we need you, hyung. You are our leader. Our boys are falling apart out there and you haven’t even noticed because you’ve locked yourself in here. If you were out there with the rest of us you would have seen how torn up they are. Please, hyung, we need you… I need you,” Minho closed Chan’s laptop as the younger sighed in defeat.

He had forgotten about the outside world, forgotten about the other members. He was a terrible leader. How was he supposed to be the leader of the biggest gang if he couldn’t even take care of his members? Couldn’t even prevent them from being kidnapped on their own territory?

“Stop it. I can see your self deprecation from here. This isn’t your fault. You were dealing with important business. There is nothing you can do about the past, only the future,” Minho paused as he made his way around the desk and kneeled in front of Chan, his hands resting on the older’s knees. 

“Okay. I’m sorry,” Chan sniffled as a few stray tears ran down his cheeks, which Minho quickly wiped away. 

“Don’t apologize, just come out there and show them that you are alive. They haven’t seen your face in days,” Minh smiled pitifully as Chan looked at him in alarm.

“Days? How-How long…” Chan covered his mouth with his hand as he choked back a sob.

“Shh, I know, Channie, I know. It’s been nine days,” Minho stood up and pulled Chan into his chest, muffling the older’s sobs as Chan held on to Minho, his body shaking from the numbness in his legs and the stabbing in his heart. 

Once the sobs turned into occasional sniffles, Minho pulled Chan away from his chest, forcing the older to make eye contact with him. 

“Let’s go take a shower, huh? And after that we can grab something to eat and take a nap,” Minho rubbed his thumbs on Chan’s arms as the older man slowly nodded. Minho attempted to move them towards the door, but Chan’s legs collapsed from under him and Minho pulled him back into his chest. Minho maneuvered the older so that he was carrying him on his front, Chan gripping onto the younger like a koala with his face tucked into the crook of his neck. 

Minho vowed to himself to never let the others get this bad ever again, no matter the circumstances.

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

Felix was angry. No, he was infuriated. How could he have let his guard down, he was a gang member for christ’s sake! He was trained to fight, to kill, to protect, and yet he was captured by a rival gang. 

It wasn’t like he didn’t fight back, though. He did. Every time someone came into his crusty little cell he fought. And every time he was left on the brink of unconsciousness or worse. His right arm had gone numb a while ago, swollen and bruised beyond recognition. It was most likely broken.

Sometimes, he could hear Jisung’s screams, or Jeongin’s cries. He was supposed to protect them, they couldn’t see or couldn’t hear, they were defenseless against their captors. 

They were so naive, they should have carried weapons, they should have let Jeongin wear contacts and Jisung wear his hearing aids. What were they thinking?! 

The clink of the door unlocking startled Felix from his thoughts. Ah, it was the same douche who broke his arm. He grabbed Felix by the scruff of his neck and all but dragged the boy from his cell. Felix tried to fight back, but his body refused to cooperate, the heaviness of exhaustion and starvation setting in. 

Felix’s feet stumbled behind him as he was dragged to a larger room, his eyes widened in shock to see Jeongin and Jisung kneeled in front of him. The douche forced Felix onto his knees next to Jisung. 

A man came in with two men behind him, he looked like a stereotypical gang leader, the black suit, creepy smile, deadly eyes. 

The three kneeled boys watched as he pulled out his phone and pointed it at them.

“Smile for the camera, ladies,” he grinned as both Felix and Jeongin frowned at him while the sound of the shutter clicked. Jisung looked around in confusion, it was practically impossible for him to hear anything without his hearing aids. 

“It’s a shame that your members haven’t found you yet, I was hoping for a party. Your parents must be disappointed in you, how quickly we snatched you out of your own territory. We took their precious, little princesses. Your daddies must be very upset. They’ll be more upset when they find their baby girls lying in puddles of their own blood,” he chuckled as he pulled out a 10mm Auto Glock, the sound of the safety clicking off sent shivers down Felix’s spine. 

Mr. Villain dude, he hadn’t said his name which definitely made their job a lot harder, pointed the gun at the three kneeling teenagers, he was obviously toying with them.

Jisung was frustrated to say the least. This villain dude in front of him was waving his gun at them while smiling like a maniac. He had no idea what the boss man said but he could assume that he was threatening their lives. Jisung hated guns. Absolutely hated them with every fiber in his being. 

Sure he had fired them before, and was damn good at it if he said so himself. But everytime he felt the effects of the gun, it reminded him of what plagued his dreams. What destroyed his life. What killed Minho’s and Hyunjin’s birth father. And now, if he didn’t think fast, someone else they loved would die by those stupid pieces of destruction.

If Jeongin moved his hand to his left boot, he could grab his blade. This stupid maniac in front of them was going crazy, waving around what Jeongin assumed to be a gun. All he could see was blurs of color and it irked his soul. The coldness of the metal blade sent waves of comfort through Jeongin’s body. He could do this, all he had to do was throw the blade before the stupid blur in front of him shot at them. 

Jeongin struggled to focus as Jisung began to shake next to him, Jeongin cursed internally at the sign of the older’s panic attack. If Jisung had a panic attack, they would all surely die. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the small blade and removed his hand from his boot. One wrong move and his plan will be foiled. He had one chance. 

Evil boss dude, or whatever his name was, stopped waving his gun around and left it pointed at Jisung, who at that point was struggling to breathe as he attempted to hide his hyperventilating. The gun was cocked back. It was now or never for Jeongin. The blade slipped through his fingers as he dove in front of Jisung.

The sound of a gun echoed throughout the room as multiple bodies hit the ground. More gunshots and screams followed.

  
  



	6. Chapter 7: It’s like us, shining brighter in the darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We can rest but it’s still too early
> 
> We need to rest but it’s still so far away
> 
> The path we must go on
> 
> Even though we can’t see the end, we must go to the end
> 
> On this path without a map
> 
> It’s a maze, don’t wanna look back
> 
> Only looking forward as we run
> 
> Shining through the darkness

I want to go home. 

  
  


I can’t breathe.

  
  


I can’t see.

  
  


I can’t hear.

  
  


I can’t think.

  
  


Jisung was curled up in a ball on the cold concrete floor, his arms over his head and he struggled to calm his breathing. He could feel the ground shaking around him, but he couldn’t form a single thought. He just wanted to go home, forget about the last week or so of his memories, the memories of his abduction, the memories of the pain.

Jeongin was kneeled protectively in front of Jisung, his eyes squinted as he tried to find the safest place to drag Jisung to. He couldn’t see what was going on around them, but he could hear. The gun shots were never ending, triggering his ears to ring and ache. 

There. Behind those boxes. Jeongin placed a hesitant hand on Jisung’s shoulder, wincing at the screams the older let out. The sixteen year old grunted as he dragged Jisung to the hiding spot, praying that his unprotected back wouldn’t gain a bullet hole. 

With Jisung curled up in his lap, Jeongin watched for what was hopefully the rest of his gang – or incoming enemies – whichever came first. Thankfully, it was the former. Seungmin had painstakingly made his way around the large room undetected as to not give away their hiding spot. 

“Hyung?” Jeongin whispered, his voice covered by never-ending gunshots. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the older, blurring his vision more than it previously was.

“It’s okay, Innie, I got you,” Seungmin pulled Jeongin into his chest, mindfully of the curled up boy in his lap. The seventeen year old placed a chaste kiss into the younger’s hair as he felt Jeongin shake. 

Their tiny world was shattered after a gun was shot too close for their liking, triggering Jisung to increase the sound of his unceasing screams. Jeongin pulled away from Seungmin and the older boy picked up Jisung and cradled him to his chest, muffling the older’s screams.

“Innie, get behind me. I’m going to get you out of here,” Seungmin commanded and waited for Jeongin’s grasp on the back of his top before beginning their journey to the doorway that Seungmin and the rest of the gang entered from. The seventeen year old ignored how Jeongin would step on the back of his shoes every couple of steps and how the younger was practically pressed against his back, he couldn’t find it annoying when his touch comforted him. 

After several close calls, Seungmin had brought the two previously kidnapped boys to their hidden van, away from the storage building that they were formerly trapped in. Thankfully, Jisung’s screams had decreased when the sound of the gun shots did, but the boy was still shaking and whimpering in fear. 

Jeongin opened the back of the van and stepped inside, immediately fumbling with various items in search of his contacts, or at least his glasses. Seungmin waited patiently for the younger who had found a pair of old glasses shoved in a glove compartment, before sitting down with Jisung in one of the empty chairs. 

“H-How long?” Jeongin choked out as Seungmin quietly hummed and rocked Jisung.

“Nine days,” Jeongin gaped at the older, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“W-Who grabbed us?” The maknae stuttered out, millions of questions rambling through his brain.

“Park Chul, but don’t worry, you got him,” Seungmin looked down to find Jisung had passed out, his body finally relaxing.

“What’d they do to you?” Seungmin whispered as he swept a matted piece of hair out of Jisung’s face.

“They surprisingly didn’t do much… I think it was because they thought we were girls,” Jeongin was honestly shocked by the lack of torture and abuse that he had received, he had expected much more, all the possible scenarios ran through his head constantly when he was alone in his singular, grimy cell.

“Wha–What?!” Seungmin stifled back a laugh, “they seriously thought you guys were girls?!” Jeongin nodded his head excitedly.

“Yeah, boss dude called us princesses and shit! He was off his rocker! What did he think was gonna happen when he took us? That we would beg for pity and act like little wusses?! Our training was harder than the last nine days,” Jeongin was full on laughing at this point, tears ran down his face as he gripped his stomach from how hard he was laughing.

“So… are you okay?” Seungmin asked once they had both calmed down, the mood decreasing.

“Yeah, I mean, it wasn’t fun by any means and it isn’t something that will disappear overnight… but I honestly could be in a lot worse shape like Sungie-hyung and I don’t even know how Yongbokie-hyung is,” Jeongin frowned as he struggled to remember what Felix had looked like when they were lined up next to each other.

“Stop that, I can hear you thinking. Don’t worry, he’s fine, we’re all fine,” Seungmin leaned forward and pecked Jeongin’s frown, causing the younger to wrinkle his nose and let out a small whine. 

“Close your eyes, Innie. We’ll be home soon and we can all cuddle in the living room,” Jeongin yawned and his eyes fluttered shut, the lack of sleep and adrenaline forced him to fall asleep quietly, the soft humming from Seungmin the only sound in the van. 

The maknae woke up briefly as someone pulled him into their lap, soft murmuring came from various areas around him but sleep took hold of him before he could delve into the noises. 

When the members arrived home, Hyunjin carried Jeongin who had wrapped himself around the older like a koala, his face pressed into the crook of his neck. Seungmin refused to let go of Jisung, only letting Chan touch the oldest “September baby” when the leader attempted to look for any injuries.

Felix had refused to fall asleep, instead clinging to Chan and Changbin while Minho and Seungmin were seated in the driver and passenger seats. Minho had confirmed that the younger’s arm was indeed broken and that Felix would be stuck in a cast for the next couple weeks.

The older boys carefully washed away the grime that covered the boys, going as trashing their unsaveable wigs that were matted beyond belief. Jisung and Jeongin didn’t even wake up when they were gently washed in the bathtub while Felix’s arm was splinted and wrapped. Seungmin made it his duty to put as many pillows and blankets as possible in their living room to fulfill the promise he made to their maknae. 

And so, once everyone was cleaned and bandaged, they joined together in a cuddle pile, finding unique and creative ways to make sure that they were all connected and touching each other, ensuring that they were finally all together, that they were all home. 


	7. Chapter 8: Now they’ve been going around. It’s in my head making me dizzy. Go away. The voices that torture me make me shout out again.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few familiar people come to see SKZ.

If you didn’t know, waking up to screaming in your ear is not the best way to wake up. Unfortunately, that is exactly what Stray Kids woke up to. 

Jisung was screaming and thrashing around in their makeshift fort, hitting the other boys as he was trapped in a nightmare. Minho, who was closest to him, had pinned down his arms in an attempt to calm the younger down. He pulled the younger into his chest and began to rock them back and forth, knowing that attempting to wake the deaf boy up would have to be through touch, not noise. 

Tears stained Minho’s shirt as he softly hummed a tune into the younger’s hair, the other boys were thankful that Jisung’s screams had calmed down into whimpers, although worry was still etched on all of the faces as they were unsure of what to do. It wasn’t like they could whisper sweet nothings into the teenager’s ears and gently wake him up. No, they had to wait out the nightmare or wait for him to wake up, whichever came first. 

So, they spent twenty minutes watching Minho rock Jisung back and forth until Jisung’s whimpers ceased. Jeongin and Felix had both fallen asleep during that time, the exhaustion from the past nine days overpowered their worry. The others were struggling to keep their eyes open as they watched Minho lay down and place Jisung on top of him, the younger’s face resting in the crook of his neck. 

Chan surveyed the room a few times before laying down himself, wrapping his arms around Jeongin’s waist and pulling the youngest closer to him. 

Despite the relaxing state of the room, Chan couldn’t help but feel that it was only the calm before the storm. They were a gang after all, a gang that had a reputation to uphold. Not only for themselves, but for their parents. 

───── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ─────

It was seven in the morning when the doorbell rang. Chan was manning the coffee machine, his curly hair in disarray while Seungmin was at the stove, cooking up a large breakfast for nine growing boys. Jeongin was seated at the counter, soft snores coming from him. 

Minho, who was woken up by the bell, grabbed a handgun off the side table and opened the door.

“Where are my babies?!” A familiar feminine voice screeched as the door busted the rest of the way open. 

“Eomma!” Jeongin exclaimed as he ran to the woman at the door, pulling the smaller woman into a tight hug.

“Hello, my prince, I heard what happened, how are you?” Jamie pulled the younger’s face down with both hands, turning his head random directions as she fussed over him. 

“Eomma~, I’m fine. We’re okay,” Jeongin whined as Hyunjin, who had been woken up from the commotion, laughed at the situation. Jamie whipped her head around at the noise and targeted her next “victim”. 

“Jagiya~,” a new voice called from the still-open doorway, startling Minho who was still behind the door. 

“Appa! Dad!” Chan yelled from the kitchen in response as both Jae and Younghyun stepped through the doorway, hats and masks over their faces to hide their identities. 

“Is this a family reunion or something?” Hyunjin grumbled as he sat up, Changbin groaning at the movement. Felix and Jisung were still dead to the world, wrapped around each other so tightly that they couldn’t tell where one boy began and the other ended. 

“That’s the plan,” Younghyun chuckled as the door closed behind him. Jamie had made her way into the living room and had pulled the pile of Jisung and Felix onto her lap, mindful of the younger’s injured arm. 

After several minutes of scratching Jisung’s scalp with her nails, the boy’s eyes slowly fluttered open. A sharp gasp escaped his lips once he recognized the woman’s face, followed by tears as he buried his face into her stomach.

The other boys in the household were occupied in the kitchen preparing breakfast while Jamie comforted the sobbing boy along with Felix, who had woken up by the shaking of the boy next to him. 

“Lixie, honey, can you get his hearing aids please?” Jamie whispered as she continued to scratch Jisung’s scalp in comforting patterns. Felix nodded and carefully removed himself from the older’s grasp, walking to the hallway that led to their bedrooms. 

When Felix came back with a small, red box, Jisung’s sobs had resolved into occasional hiccups. Felix placed the hearing aids in with practiced ease and Jisung bolted up from his slouched position once his hearing had returned.

“Eo-eom-mma, I-I-I’m s-s-sor-ry,” Jisung stuttered out as he choked on more sobs. 

“Shh, you’re okay, aegi, you’re okay,” Jamie hummed softly as Jisung wrapped his arms around her. 

“I-I’m s-sor-ry, I c-couldn’t d-do i-it,” Jisung mumbled as hiccups constantly interrupted him. 

“Shh, aigoo, you didn’t do anything wrong. Everyone’s okay, you’re okay,” Jamie shushed him as the teen continued to mumble apologies. 

“Twins, Eomma, breakfast is ready!” Minho called out from the kitchen over the sounds of Jeongin and Seungmin bickering playfully, unaware of the situation in the living room. 

“Let’s go eat with our family, huh?” Jamie pulled Jisung’s face out of her stomach and wiped a few stray tears off his cheeks while Felix stood up. Jisung nodded hesitantly as he sniffled, Felix took one of the older’s hands into one of his, thumbing over the knuckles comfortingly. 

Jamie grabbed his other hand and led them into the large kitchen, where the others had already begun to dig into the various dishes around the kitchen.

“Chris?!” Jamie exclaimed, disbelief written on her face. Chan’s cheeks were stuffed as he looked at the mother with wide eyes. “What have I told you about waiting for everyone to have food before digging in?!” Chan’s ears and face turned bright red as the others laughed at the confrontation.

No one acknowledged Jisung’s swollen eyes and how he refused to let go of Felix’s hand, feeding him as the older held his only useful hand, although Felix didn’t seem to mind based off the content hums that escaped after each bite of food (and the seat wiggles that had a few of the boys laughing behind their hands). 

They knew it was dangerous of them to be together in the same house, even more so as two different gangs, but all worries were brushed aside in favor of ensuring the safety of the newly returned boys. 

All they felt was happiness as contentedness and love filled their hearts as they looked around the kitchen. 


	8. Chapter 9: Now instead of a small scar, emptiness remains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loneliness is an old friend to a certain SKZ member.

Jisung had nightmares every night. He was used to the occasional ones from the night he lost his hearing, but these nightmares were new, his brain using the recent events to their fullest with altering scenarios where one or multiple of the boys died. 

Even though the hostage situation was almost two months ago, Jisung still hadn’t returned to the club. He struggled letting the others out of his line of sight, he couldn’t even take his hearing aids out without the appearance of a panic attack. 

Jisung allowed himself to show his struggles the first two weeks, but after that, he hid it. He hid the nightmares, the panic attacks, the sleepless nights, the shaking hands. He didn’t want to worry them, especially since everyone had other things to worry about. 

Chan worries about the structural side of the gang. Minho worries about Chan. Changbin worries about the security side of the gang. The rest are trying to catch up on school, and Felix had a cast on top of that. 

The last thing Stray Kids needed was problems coming from Jisung, especially something as miniscule as nightmares. Jisung grew up alone, separated from everyone else, so he could deal with his problems the same way, as he always had. 

_ Five Years Ago: _

_ “Hey faggot!” A snarky voice blared down the hallway followed by the snickers of at least three people. Jisung’s knuckles turned white from how tight he gripped the straps of his bookbag. His bangs tickled his eyes from how low he bent his head as he rushed to the block his house was on. _

_ Jisung’s feet flew out from beneath him as he was pushed to the ground, his shoulder throbbed from the contact with the dried, cracked dirt, it was drought season in Malaysia.  _

_ “I was talking to you, freak, or can you not hear me?” Jisung turned his head and saw Moon Beomseok, a senior who’s goal in life was to make Jisung’s as atrocious as possible. Two other seniors stood behind Beomseok, but Jisung didn’t know their names, sticking with calling them the “bully henchmen”.  _

_ “Come on, freak, get up,” Beomseok or one of his henchmen (Jisung couldn’t tell at this point) delivered a harsh kick into his side, Jisung bit his bottom lip to choke back any pitiful noises that were guaranteed to come out.  _

_ “Can you hear me, faggot?” One of the henchmen pulled Jisung’s thin arms away from his head, leaving Jisung’s front open and defenseless as the twelve year old wrestled to get his limbs free from the restraint. Tears poured down his chubby cheeks as each blow added more pain to his small body.  _

_ He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he got the gist. He always did.  _

_ So when the blows slowed down and he was finally released, he let himself crumble to the ground, limp as a few final blows were delivered. It was routine at this point for Jisung, it might not be the same person, but it always ended the same.  _

_ Him. On the ground. Beaten bloody and sobbing.  _

_ Alone. No friends. No one to check on him.  _

_ He was always going to be alone.  _

_ Even when he was surrounded by people, he was still alone. _

  
  


_ Three Years Ago (Two Years After Beomseok): _

  
  


_ “Sung?” Chan called from the doorway, breaking Jisung’s thoughts. _

_ “Ye-ah,” the fifteen year old sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of his voice. He can’t help but hate it, he still hasn’t gotten used to his voice even though he has had his hearing aids for a little over a year. _

_ “Do you want to practice conversations?” Chan carefully sat down on the bed next to the younger, mindful of the other’s stiff body language. _

_ “Umm, not right now, hyung,” Jisung mumbled before sighing, “I’m tired, I think I’m going to lay down a bit…” the younger’s voice faded out as he removed his hearing aids, placing them on the small bedside table.  _

_ Chan nodded his head in understanding and stood up from the bed, allowing the fifteen year old to lay down on their shared bed – it was only the two of them in that room and they didn’t care about bedding arrangements – before staring at the smaller boy’s back for a few moments, contemplating on his next actions. _

_ His shoulders slumped in defeat as he turned his body and left the room, leaving Jisung who had begun to silently cry due to the emptiness he felt in his chest. _

_ He was so alone. _

Now:

Jisung reached up and felt the hearing aids that were constantly attached to his ears. A sob choked through him as he collapsed onto the floor, his knees banging against the cold wood. 

He was alone in the house, it was a weekend night after all and it was prime clubbing time for Seoul, South Korea. No one would be home for hours, as the sun just went down, leaving at least seven hours until the clubs closed. He knew no one would come home and comfort him, he told himself he didn’t need it. He didn’t need to be a burden, it was bad enough that he was physically disabled. 

He had gotten kidnapped for crying out loud, he would have been fine if he wasn’t deaf. None of this would have happened if he wasn’t deaf. It was his fault. He introduced the idea of Felix and Jeongin dancing in the first place, they got hurt because of his dumb decisions. 

He was supposed to be the hyung. He was in Stray Kids longer than them. He was a gang member longer than them. He’s had more training. He should have protected them.

Jisung scratched and pulled at the hearing aids, crying out in pain as he ripped them out quickly, feeling something warm drip down the sides of his head as he was plunged back into the almost-silence he grew up with. 

The seventeen year old let out a choked scream as he looked down at the red staining his hands. His head felt as if it was going to explode, the stabbing pains in his ears increasing as more garbled screams left his lips. 

Jisung pressed his hands to the ground and used them to push himself into a standing position, swaying dangerously from the blood loss or the lack of hearing aids, he didn’t know. The small boy stumbled into the hallway, leaving bloody handprints along the walls as he tripped his way to the closest bathroom.

He didn’t make it.

A bright flash of white took over Jisung’s eyes as he screamed out in pain, forgetting his mission as he crouched down into a fetal position, pressing his bloody hands against his even bloodier ears. 

The white faded to black as Jisung succumbed to the welcoming feeling of unconsciousness, his body slumped awkwardly on the floor, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I just wanted to say that I almost cried writing this chapter because I hate the derogatory word that Jisung is called, but I knew I need to emphasize what Jisung was put through. So... I'm sorry if it hurt you because it hurt me too. <3


	9. Chapter 10: I need you right by my side now

It isn’t uncommon for someone to feel an intense impending doom when someone around them is heading towards danger, but that doesn’t mean it always happens. 

No one felt anything off when they went to the club that night. No one thought something was wrong. In fact, they felt the positive anxiousness that came from the thoughts of the flashing lights, the sweaty masses, the smells of various concoctions, the meetings that were ensured to benefit them, it made them feel giddy inside.

Felix had a headache. Ever since  _ the Incident _ , he has been moved to watching the cameras in the back, staring at the screens for hours to watch for suspicious behavior. Jeongin thankfully took over his shift once the pounding in his head became too much for the teenager. 

With Chan’s permission, Felix left for home early, almost four hours before the club even closed. He pushed the key into the lock and opened the door, all the lights were off which meant that Jisung was most-likely asleep. 

Stray Kids has been worried about the almost-deaf teen ever since  _ the Incident, _ the way he had pulled away from them and closed himself off scared them. They could hear his muffled cries at night, or when he walked around the house at all hours of the night when he couldn’t sleep. They saw how little he was eating, how sometimes he couldn’t grab items because his hands were shaking so badly. In fact, it was something that was brought up on the way to the club, they decided that it was time to confront Jisung about it. They didn’t want the seventeen year old to face his problems alone. They were a team, a family.

Felix prepared a cup of tea for both himself and Jisung, and grabbed some painkillers for his fierce headache. Once the tea was done, he grabbed both steaming mugs before beginning the careful trek up the stairs, where the bedrooms were located. 

The potent, all too familiar scent of iron penetrated the air around Felix as he made it up the last few stairs. The seventeen year old dropped the mugs at the sight of Jisung on the floor, blood surrounding the day-older boy. The glass shattered and the tea dripped down the stairs.

It looked like Felix had walked into a horror movie scene, or a terribly graphic haunted attraction. Felix sprinted the seven or eight feet to the still boy on the floor before collapsing onto his knees next to him, his tight black jeans immediately soaking up the quickly-chilling blood.

“Jisung?! Sungie?! Sung?! Wake up!” Felix shook the older boy but received no response, instantly moving to place two fingers on Jisung’s neck, sighing in relief at the faint but steady pulse. Felix pulled his phone out from his back pocket and speed dialed Chan’s number, his two fingers remaining on Jisung’s pulse to calm his nerves.

“Lix? What’s up?” Chan’s voice called through the speaker, providing a sense of security to the seventeen year old.

“Hyung, I-I found Sungie on the floor, unconscious. There’s blood everywhere, hyung. He has a pulse but he’s not waking up, hyung. Oh my god, there’s so much blood,” Felix finally noticed the bloody handprints on the walls and the wetness that was soaking through his pants, sending the boy’s anxiety through the roof.

“Felix. I need you to stay calm for me, yeah?” Chan’s ever-steady voice continued to call through the speaker, instantly calming Felix down at least a miniscule amount.

“Yeah, okay…” Felix mumbled as he put the older on speaker phone.

“I need you to tell me where he is bleeding from, okay?” Chan took a deep breath hoping it would encourage the younger boy to do the same. 

“Umm, i-it’s his ears. Wait… where’s his hearing aids? Hyung, where’s his hearing aids?” Felix looked at the surrounding area of the hallway but did not see the hearing aids. “Hyung, why doesn’t he have his hearing aids?”

“Shit,” Chan mumbled and Felix could imagine the older running his hands through his hair. “Felix, is he still bleeding?”

“No… if he is it’s very little. Hyung, I don’t understand,” Felix was confused. Did someone do this to the day-older boy and why would they do that?

“I need you to clean him up for me, yeah? I’m sending home Minho, he’ll help you,” Chan’s tone of voice held no room for arguments, but Felix couldn’t help but continue questioning the older.

“Hyung, did someone attack him?” Felix’s voice dropped down to a whisper, if someone attacked Jisung, then they could still be in the house.

“No Lixie, Jisung…” he sighed, “my best guest was that Jisung had an anxiety attack and removed his hearing aids too forcefully, causing some minor damage to his ears. He should be fine physically after healing for a couple of days… we should be more worried about his mental health.”

“I didn’t think he was that bad, Channie hyung, Why would he do that?” Felix finally removed the fingers on Jisung’s neck to wipe a drop of blood that was beginning to dry on the older’s face, Felix then recognized the tear tracks on Jisung’s chubby cheeks.

“Sungie has a dark history, Felix, one that he doesn’t want anyone to know about. While we grew up with people that were our parents, he didn’t. He grew up in a place that didn’t care about him, that named him the devil incarnate. They claimed his imperfections as curses, using it as a reason to abuse him… that’s why he joined me so early. Dad finally got word of Jisung’s home situation and immediately sent him here. I won’t tell you more because it is his story to tell, not mine.”

“But he seems happy all the time…” Felix's eyes watered at the thought of his twin facing such horrific situations.

“He wasn’t always like that, but he has changed, and hopefully he can be happy again once we help him.” Felix heard the comforting sound of the front door unlocking, signalling that Minho had arrived home. 

“Minho hyung is home, so you can get back to work, but I demand a cuddle pile when everyone gets home,” Felix’s lips formed into a pout as Chan’s familiar laugh echoed through the speaker, bouncing off the hallway walls. 

“Okay, will do. Take care of Sungie, okay?” Chan’s voice turned gentle and Felix knew that he meant more than just physically.

“I promise, hyung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!!!
> 
> I have an instagram you can message me at. @Char_lee422
> 
> And I have a discord now too!! @Charlee422


	10. Chapter 11: You’re doing good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’re doing good  
> If it gets too hard,  
> Don’t worry I will run with you

[“” = speech] [‘’ = sign]

Jisung awoke to silence and pain. Embarrassment, shame, and guilt choked the air out of his lungs when his eyes fell on the slumped form of Felix next to his bed, sitting in a chair that Jisung knew wasn’t comfortable to sleep on.

Despite the pain that slammed his skull, Jisung reached out and grabbed Felix’s upturned hand that rested on the day-older’s bed, squeezing it to wake the younger. Felix’s eyes fluttered open and his lips began to rapidly move, no doubt word vomiting to the older about Jisung’s dumb decision to rip out his hearing aids, possibly damaging his hearing even more. 

Jisung rolled his eyes and pulled the younger’s hand, signalling for Felix to join him in the warmth of the pile of blankets and stuffies. 

“I’m sorry. Now sleep. I’m okay,” Jisung dragged each syllable out to ensure that his voice was understandable, he hated not knowing what he sounded like but he needed to reassure the aussie next to him. Felix’s eyes screamed that he had more to say but understood the situation, resting his head on the smaller boy’s chest, his ear over the older boy’s heart. 

Jisung pressed a chaste kiss to the fluffy hair adorning the younger’s head before closing his eyes, drifting back to sleep.

─── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ───

When Jisung’s eyes opened again, he was alone. He slowly sat up and placed his bare feet on the cold wooden floor, feeling for possible vibrations from others walking around on that level or above him. He frowned when he found none, standing up and making his way to the hallway. He looked both ways but found no one, uneasiness beginning to creep through his veins. 

He walked back into his room and grabbed his phone, pulling it off the charger as he sat down on his bed. There was a single message from Hyunjin.

Llama and Squirrel 눝🦙 (Active)

Jinnie, wya?

You’re awake!

Where is everyone?

Chan hyung had a meeting with a bunch of other leaders around South Korea. He’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. The babies are at school and Minho hyung is scouting around.

Oh. Why aren’t you with him?

We didn’t want to leave you alone in the house.

I’m not a kid. I don’t need a babysitter.

Jisung

Whatever. Wya?

Bin hyung and I are in the basement training, you can join if you want.

I’m going on a walk. I need fresh air.

Should you be going by yourself? What if you get attacked?

IM NOT A BABY! Bye jin.

Jisung

Jisungie

Sungie

Sung

Seriously answer

Fine, be back by dark or we’re sending out a search party.

_Seen at 2:48pm._

  
  


Jisung stumbled through the streets, the smell of alcohol sharp on his breath as he passed under countless streetlights, the yellow light adding color to the redness of his face and neck from the alcohol. He had turned his phone off hours earlier, tired of the unstopping buzzing. 

The telltale signs of throwing up overcame him and he darted into a nearby alley, leaning painfully over a tall trash can as he emptied his stomach. He should have known better than to drink so much on an empty stomach. 

Once his stomach was emptied, he slumped back and turned so he was leaning on the wall beside the trash can, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the cold brick wall behind him, leaving him unaware of his surroundings. 

The feeling of being watched for Jisung to open his eyes and an undignified yelp left his lips at the sight of three men in dark clothing standing in front of him, their eyes screaming for things that the teenager knew he didn’t want. 

‘Go away.’ He signed, too drunk to try and speak eligible. He pushed off the wall and used that momentum to shove his way between the men who were confused by the hand signals Jisung had used. He had almost made it to the street when a hand grabbed the back of his collar, choking him as it pulled him backwards and slammed him against the wall he was previously leaning against, the pain in his head increasing from the harsh movement. 

His eyesight blurred as a curled fist met his stomach, he gagged despite not having anything in his stomach from throwing it up minutes earlier.

How much time had passed? Where was he? How far had he walked away from the house?

White flashed through his eyesight as another fist met his face, his cheek bursting in pain as he could feel blood leaking from a new cut, one of them was most likely wearing rings. What dicks.

Jisung’s fighting mind kicked in and he kneed the closest man in his lower region before pressing his thumbs into the same man’s eye sockets, forcing him to the ground. Jisung felt movement from his left and kicked out his leg, feeling the crack of one of the other guy’s knees fracturing from the power of his kick, sending another man to the ground. 

He knocked the guy out for good measure and turned to face the last guy, a smirk on his face at the feeling of power from beating two – soon three – grown men. A cry left his lips as a sharp pain ignited in his side. The last man had pulled out a small pocket knife and stabbed him in the side. Jisung screamed out in anger as he pulled the knife out of his side before flipping it around and slicing it against the last guy’s neck in one swift motion, smiling once more at the fear in the other’s eyes as blood poured from his neck and mouth, running down the hands that attempted to put pressure against the fatal wound.

Jisung watched the life fade from the man’s eyes before turning and exiting the alley, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he entered another bar, showing his fake ID at the bar before ordering several drinks.

He easily drank through the alcoholic beverages before throwing a wad of cash on the counter and walking out, unaware of the blood that had bled through his shirt and was now running so much it was staining his pants. 

A scowl decorated his face when their house came into view, apparently he hadn’t walked as far as he had hoped. He avoided the loud wooden floor boards as he made his way silently through the house, climbing up the stairs before crashing into his room, flopping onto his bed despite the uneasiness from his alcohol-filled stomach.

He attempted to turn onto his side but cried out in pain from the movement. Oh right, he had been stabbed. He turned on his bedside lamp and looked down at his side. It was a miracle he hadn’t passed out yet from blood loss. Jisung stumbled into a standing position, both hands on his wounds as he made his way to the bathroom. 

He grabbed a washcloth and placed it over the leaking wound before digging through the cabinets in search of a medical kit. Several bottles and objects clanked and banged against the floor but Jisung could only focus on finding the medical kit. 

Jisung cried out in happiness as he pulled the kit out and opened it, finding everything he needed to stitch himself up. He grabbed the needle and thread it with shaking hands, cursing loudly at how shaky his hands were. He pulled the washcloth of and flinched at the sudden influx of blood that poured out of his side. 

Jisung sucked in a breath as he placed the needle on his skin, his hands were shaking so bad that he couldn’t pierce his skin without making the wound worse. A familiar hand grabbed his own and took the needle. Jisung looked up and was met with Minho’s serious expression. His face burned even more at the disapproving look Minho gave him. 

Jisung flinched as the needle wove in and out of his skin, breathing shakily with each pull of the thread. Minho paused halfway through the wound to pull on one of Jisung’s hands and placed it on his chest, allowing Jisung to feel the vibrations of Minho humming. 

The corners of Jisung’s lips lifted at the caring actions of the older and let his eyes slip shut, letting the calming vibrations of Minho’s chest lull him into a gentle sleep.


	11. Chapter 12: Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jisung faces the harsh reality of truth.
> 
> I can rest but not yet.
> 
> I need rest.

Jisung woke up to the feeling of warm breaths fanning against the back of his neck, arms wrapped protectively around him from behind, legs entwined with his own. The teen turned his head slightly and found himself staring at Minho’s sleeping face, it was the most relaxed he had seen him in weeks, maybe months. 

Jisung’s eyes pounded along with his heartbeat, this was probably the worst hangover he’s ever had. He carefully removed himself from the older’s grip, wincing slightly at the burning sensation coming from his stitched up wound. The teen stumbled out of his bedroom, mindful of his foot placement as he crept down the hallway and stairs, entering the kitchen where the smell of coffee was strong. 

He flinched when his eyes were caught by Hyunjin’s, the older holding his own mug of coffee, a frown pulling at his lips from the sight of the deaf boy before him.

“Fuck off. I’m fine,” Jisung mumbled, not bothering to take the time to correctly accentuate each sound as he pulled a random mug off the lowest shelf of the cabinet he had opened. He turned back to see Hyunjin glaring at him, but he only rolled his eyes and poured himself some coffee. 

He slammed the mug down on the counter when a harsh tap landed on his shoulder.

“Fuck  _ off _ , Hyunjin. The world doesn’t fucking revolve around your arrogant ass,” Jisung gripped onto the counter as he spoke through gritted teeth. A hand spun the deaf boy around and a fist met his nose, sending Jisung’s head flying back and hitting the cabinet as his back hit the counter. 

Blood gushed from his nose as he stumbled forward and swung blindly, yelling unintelligible words in frustration. A hand grabbed his fist and twisted his arm back, sending him crashing to the ground, the wind rushing out of his lungs. His throat burned from how loudly he was screaming as he thrashed on the floor, a weight on his back keeping him down while he kicked his legs wildly behind him.

No matter what he did he couldn’t get up, he didn’t even know if it was Hyunjin at this point. His muscles burned and his heart raced as he struggled to inhale through the blood that was still gushing from his nose. His wound had definitely reopened on his side if the sharp pain said anything. 

Jisung’s struggling decreased as the need for oxygen increased, his lungs couldn’t grasp the luxurious air he was breathing in despite how much he inhaled. With one hand held against his back and the other beneath his body, he couldn’t sign. He was stuck. Helpless.

He used the hand behind him to fingerspell ‘S-T-O-P’, hoping whoever was on him would see it and accept his defeat.

It was fruitless.

Whoever was on him wasn’t paying attention to his hand and Jisung could help the fear that clutched his heart, causing him to start fighting against the person on him once more. He thrashed his body around in an attempt to get the weight off his back, off his lungs. He kicked his legs to try and land a hit on them, but nothing was working and now everything screamed louder, stronger, harder. 

If his eyes were open, he knew that black dots would be dancing in his vision more vividly than they are with his eyes closed. His body relaxed against his will and he slumped against the ground, limp as his eyes rolled back and he fell into unconsciousness. 

── ⋆⋅⚲⋅⋆ ──

“Jisung! Stop! Stop it!” Hyunjin yelled as Jisung thrashed beneath him, the younger refusing to calm down.

“Hyungs! Help! Fuck! Someone! Please!” He didn’t know how to calm the younger down, he didn’t know what to do. Jisung’s movements decreased and Hyunjin sighed in relief, the younger was stronger than he looked and it was taking its toll on the taller. 

“Hyunjin?” A tired voice called from the top of the stairs.

“Hyu–” Hyunjin started but was cut off by Jisung’s sudden increase in trashing, the younger moving harder than before.

“Stop! Jisung stop!” Hyunjin screamed as he pressed harder on the younger to still his movements. His actions seemed to work as Jisung all of a sudden went limp, no longer fighting the older.

“Jisung? Hyunjin?” Seungmin stepped into the doorway, a hand rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. 

“What’s going on?” Minho appeared behind Seungmin, just as tired.

“He wouldn’t calm down. I didn’t know what to do,” Hyunjin explained, still on Jisung’s back.

“Did you try signing to him?” Seungmin asked, his arms crossing in front of his chest.

“Yes! Well…” Hyunjin knew his anger got the best of him, he had punched Jisung before attempting to have a civilized conversation.

“Fuck! Hyunjin, why are you still on him?! Is he still breathing?!” Minho pushed past Seungmin and shoved Hyunjin off Jisung, immediately turning the youngest over, revealing his bloodied face and closed eyes.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Come on, Jisung, come on, buddy, wake up,” Minho mumbled as he gently slapped Jisung’s face, attempting to get a reaction from the unconscious boy. Hyunjin immediately began to cry once he realized what had happened. He had hurt Jisung, he had hurt his brother. 

After a few moments, Jisung’s lashes fluttered open, revealing glazed eyes that lazily moved around their eye line, not focused on anything.

“Come on, aegi, focus on me,” Minho held Jisung’s head still with one hand and snapped his fingers in front of the younger’s eyes with the other, successfully gaining his attention after a few snaps. Minho opened and closed his hand a couple of times, signing awake with his available hand, continuing the action until the younger copied, albeit weakly.

“Good job, aegi,” Minho brushed his thumb against the apple of Jisung’s cheek, careful of one of the many cuts that littered his face.

“Hyunjin, can you get ice and Minnie grab the kit?” Minho looked up from Jisung for the first time in minutes to look at the two boys standing nearby. They both nodded their heads and moved to fulfill his request. Minho continued to say random things as he picked Jisung off the floor, using the movements of his lips to distract the deaf boy, going as far as to make silly faces at the younger.

When Minho set Jisung down on the couch, the younger grabbed his hand and signed ‘sorry’ with the other, his eyes blurry from unshed tears.

“I know, Sungie. I know you’ve been struggling. It’s okay, Sung. We’re here now. I’m here now,” Minho smiled sadly at the deaf boy as he wiped the tears from the younger’s paled cheeks.

Seungmin and Hyunjin arrived together, both handing the items to the crouched boy.

“Can you two distract him? I need him to stay awake and still,” the two boys nodded and sat on the floor beside him, gaining Jisung’s attention.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You freaked out and I didn’t know what to do,” Hyunjin signed as he spoke.

“No. I sorry. Mean,” Jisung signed tiredly, using single words to get his point across.

“When you get healed up, we need to have a conversation. We’ve held off long enough and we can’t watch you destroy yourself anymore,” Seungmin signed as he spoke, gaining a pitiful stare from the injured boy.

“I know you don’t want to, but you need help. Chan was thinking about pulling you out completely and sending you to Australia to live with eomma, you’re not fit to be in a gang anymore. You’ve become a weak spot that our rivals can use against us. We don’t want you getting hurt, Jisungie,” tears poured from the youngest’s eyes at the oldest’s words. 

“N-No…” Jisung whispered, triggering the three to cringe at the state of the youngest’s voice. It was scratchy and pitiful, probably from the amount of screaming that he had done when he and Hyunjin were fighting.

“Alright, I’m done stitching him back up, I’m putting him on bedrest for the next two weeks,” Minho stated as he wiped his bloodied hands on a piece of cloth. He picked up Jisung once again and took him to his bedroom, changing the younger’s clothes and giving him some water before forcing Jisung to sleep. 

The older waited until Jisung’s breathing evened out before exiting the room, closing the door quietly behind him. He groaned at the thoughts racing through his mind as he leaned back against the door he had just closed. 

Jisung needed help or he was gone. It wasn’t an easy decision on Chan’s part but Minho knew how necessary it was. They couldn’t risk losing one of their members, even if it meant sending them away permanently. A sigh left his lips as he ran a hand through his bed head and made his way down the stairs.

Right now he needed a good cup of coffee and mindless TV. The blood was cleaned up when he entered the kitchen and he mentally thanked whoever had done it. The aroma of coffee wrapped around him and he felt his muscles relax because of the scent. The hyung line was practically addicted to the delicious bean water as Felix called it when he was brand new to korean.

Minho’s lips tugged upwards at the ends as he thought about the growth their group had gone through. They really were the next top gang. They had something other groups didn’t have; family, and they grasped that tightly with their fingers, refusing to budge from it for a second. They were his family, and he loved them a lot, just as much as they loved him if not more. 

Minho cradled the mug of coffee to his chest as he sat on the couch next to Hyunjin who was cuddled up to Seungmin, a random animation played on the TV. The house was silent except for the low sounds coming from the TV, it was peaceful.


	12. Chapter 12: Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look at the night sky, look at the stars  
> It’s like us, shining brighter in the darkness

It took Jisung a lot of perseverance and patience to heal. He had many fights with the other boys, screaming loudly and throwing fists, tears streaming down his face as the word “failure” screamed in his head.

He was extremely thankful for the boys around him and their parents, despite their challenging schedules and jobs within the gang, they were always there to support him, help him get back up.

Jisung still had setbacks, the flash of nightmares or the feeling of being alone drowned him at random times, the sharp claws squeezing his heart as he gasped for air. One of the boys always found him before it escalated, wrapping him in their embrace and touching him comfortingly until the ugly feelings went away.

He had moved to controlling the online activity for the gang, no longer safe for physical missions for Stray Kids. At first he was upset at the development, but he had grown to love the thrill of breaking through firewalls and damaging important assets in large companies around South Korea. 

Jisung’s contribution to the gang has allowed them to rise up in the ranks, making deals that were once impossible with neighboring gangs. Their parents were extremely proud of how much Stray Kids have done for the area they had owned decades ago. 

Stray Kids had an interesting arrangement with the neighboring gangs, keeping their area neutral ground for the gangs they had made an agreement with, protecting the gangs from common rival gangs and other possible enemies. Stray Kids received immunity in return for the practical safe house they ran for gangs in hiding; Stray Kids had become indispensable, irreplaceable. 

No one dared to go against them or hinder their name, or if they did they didn’t last long. The boys often found themselves in debt to other gangs for protection, but the gangs waved off the dues – something completely unheard of before Stray Kids came along – with the excuse that Stray Kids were taken under their wings and provided important assets that no other gangs had.

Stray Kids had started a new generation of gangs, they had started a new union for the South Korea gangs that offered unity to those who didn’t follow the rules, the strays.

They would forever be marked as the gang that changed the meaning of, “gang”. What was once ruthless business that harmed society became a close-knit family that took care of their community, taking down the politicians in favor of the people. They had become like the stars, widely-known yet forever mysterious.

Fin.


	13. Chapter 13: Hellevator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oops? I'm back suddenly with a new idea that I will hopefully have the productive juices to finish along with million other stories I'm writing XD

Jisung rubbed his red, watering eyes as they blurred for the millionth time, a groan rumbling in his throat at the screen before him. After Jeongin graduated high school, Chan signed a contract with the JYP alliance, one of the biggest chains in all of South Korea, throwing the gang into the dark side of the gang world that most of them had never seen before, their only experience being from the club that they owned and ran for years. 

Knocking over empty cans of Red Bulls and Monsters, Jisung stood up from his rolling chair, several of his joints cracking at the sudden movement. Black dots filled his vision as dizziness overcame him, forcing him to lean on his desk as he waited for the world to still. How long had he been sitting there? 

Jisung shut off his desktop and shoved his hearing aids into his ears, cringing as the sounds of his surroundings suddenly abused his ears. He had to be cautious with the amount of time he spent using his hearing aids, they struggled to afford food on the contract so batteries were at the bottom of their list. After unlocking the four deadbolts on the door, he creaked open the thick metal door, revealing the artificially-lighted hallway. 

The hacker shielded his aching eyes as he locked the door behind him, leaving him alone in the white, pristine hallway. Jisung hated the new living and working conditions they were forced to live in ever since Chan signed that contract. They were forced to leave the familiarity of their home and club and move into the strict requirements of the JYP building. 

Jisung barely even saw his own gang anymore as they were always on separate missions or backup for other gangs. He can’t tell you the last time they all sat together in one room, just enjoying each other’s presences. Jisung himself barely spent any time at the apartment, or dorm as the others called it, spending most of his time in his assigned room, coding and hacking for other groups. 

He stopped in front of the dorm front door, his walk from the tech room was a blur as exhaustion weighed him down more and more. The door only had two deadbolts, a false sense of comfort as several other managers – people who ensured that the gang followed the contract – had skeleton keys over every single dorm in the entire building, they had no real privacy. 

Jisung’s stomach rumbled as he slipped off his shoes, only two other pairs were by the doorway, meaning that five of them were out. Oh wait, three. He had forgotten that Minho and Felix were removed from the gang by the company, claiming that they weren’t fit for the group. 

It had only been a month since Felix’s departure and two for Minho, but it put a suffocating damper on the group. He flopped down on his messy bed and instantly fell asleep after turning off his hearing aids, not even checking the time, or filling up his loud stomach.

He woken up an unknown amount of time later, harsh bangs reverberating off the walls, shattering the calmness of the dreamless world he had been in. He assumed it was Hyunjin and Chan. Jisung slipped unnoticeably out of his room and within eyeshot of the tense conversation, hiding behind the couch in order to read Hyunjin’s lips as Chan was hidden from the hallway. 

“–we’re next –––––– took them away ––– Innie or I –––––––––––––––––––– never see you anymore, we’re falling apart ––––––––––––––––––– signed that  _ stupid _ contract! ––––––––––––––––– they’re killing us off one by one,” Tears spilled from Hyunjin’s eyes and he covered his mouth with one of his hands, undoubtedly choking back a sob. Jisung held his own hand over his mouth as his wide eyes stared at the scene in front of him.

Jisung assumed that Chan was responding to Hyunjin’s exclamations, and if Jisung could see him, he knew the older would probably look worse for wear with heavy bags under his bloodshot eyes and curly hair a greasy mess on top of his head.

“No, hyung! –––––––– quit ––––– taking Jeongin with me. I’m done ––––––,” Jisung watched Hyunjin grab Jeongin’s hand –– the hacker just then noticed the maknae and the backpacks weighing both boys’ shoulders down –– and slam the shut door behind him, the vibrations shaking Jisung to his core. Jisung took a moment before making his appearance, squinting his eyes and relaxing his shoulders to make it look like he hadn’t eavesdropped and had instead just woken up. He was right, except Chan looked even worse than he had imagined. 

The leader had obviously just entered the dorm, his bag still hanging off one shoulder and hood pulled up and ball cap shading the top half of his face. He was wearing the same black outfit as Jisung had seen him in last time, the hacker honestly didn’t know if Chan had changed since before Jisung last entered his tech room (he couldn’t be disgusted at the older, he hadn’t changed since then either). 

Jisung pulled a mug out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee from the cold mug before popping it into the microwave, gross coffee was better than no coffee. The hacker felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he whipped around, squeaking when he found Chan mere feet from him, their eyes locked.

‘Hyung?’ Jisung signed, his head tilted to the side as he held back a yawn. Chan shook his head and reached for the right pocket of Jisung’s sweatpants, pulling out the soon-dead hearing aids. 

‘How long?’ Chan signed with one hand as he turned over the hearing aids in his other hands, eyebrows pinched together as the corner of his lips pulled down. 

‘Eight hours at most. I’ve been trying not to use them, hyung, I promise!’ The hacker’s hands grew more erratic to show his authenticity. 

‘I know, Sung, I know. I’m sorry. I’m–” Chan stopped signing to place his hand over his eyes, no doubt hiding his tears. Jisung stepped towards the leader and wrapped his arms around the taller’s middle, feeling Chan’s tears soak his neck as the older placed his face in the crook of Jisung’s neck.

  
Jisung didn’t hear Chan’s declarations, his crazy promises, his self-sacrificing plans. That moment would become the exact situation that Jisung hated his disability more than any other time in his life,  _ ever _ .


	14. A/N NOT A CHAPTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *awkward laughs*

(Same post from all CharLee 422 works)

Ummm hey lovelies....

So umm COVID decided to attack my school and I have finals next week and I just got over a stomach virus (not COVID) and my seasonal depression kicked in shortly after halloween. So if you noticed my lack of posts that's why.

So...... I'm going on hiatus until at least the beginning of 2021. I AM NOT ABANDONING ANY OF MY WORKS I PROMISEEEEEE

During this time, I will be mass editing ALLLLLL of my works (even the completed ones). I'm sorry for the lack of posts from the last couple of weeks and the rest of the wonderful year of 2020.

Have a good rest of your year,

CharLee422


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